Illinois’ First Post-Legalization Cannabis Arrest Made for Underage Possession

The Brown County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office has reportedly made the first cannabis-related arrest in Illinois following the January 1 legalization in the state, according to a KHQA report. The sheriff’s office said an 18-year-old was cited for possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle after being stopped for failing to use a turn signal.

Cannabis use and possession in Illinois is only legal for adults 21-and-older. The laws require that transported cannabis be stored in an odorless, childproof container. Under the law, possession is now a civil infraction with a $100 to $200 ticket with increasing fined and penalties – including felony charges – for subsequent violations, based on the amount of cannabis one is caught with.

The arrest comes about a week after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker pardoned 11,017 people for low-level cannabis convictions. His office said that there are another 70,000 records eligible for relief due to the recreational cannabis laws passed by the legislature last year.

The day after legal cannabis sales commenced in Illinois, law enforcement agencies in McLean County told the Pantagraph that they had no incidents of cannabis-related crimes or driving under the influence of cannabis.

Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner told the Pantagraph that it was “no surprise” that none of the county’s agencies “had an arrest based on anything over the 30-gram limit” one day after legal sales commenced.

Both the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police opposed cannabis legalization.